


as we dream by the fire

by marvellingyou (tourmalinex)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Cabin Fic, Canon Divergence - Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Forests, M/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Retirement, Snow, Winter, moodboard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:40:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28583646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tourmalinex/pseuds/marvellingyou
Summary: They didn’t have tv or wifi, and their radio was limited. But they needed a long break from the world. After everything that happened to Steve and Bucky, they deserved it.In which our favorite super-soldiers nestle themselves in a cabin in the woods.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 13
Kudos: 68
Collections: Star Spangled Secret Santa 2020





	as we dream by the fire

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Annabelle_Priscilla_McQuillan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annabelle_Priscilla_McQuillan/gifts).



> Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! Here's my gift, a moodboard + ficlet about Steve and Bucky being together in a cabin in the forest.

────────────────────────────────────────────────────

_Later on, we'll conspire,  
As we dream by the fire  
To face unafraid, the plans that we made  
Walking in a winter wonderland_

────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Snow had blanketed the forest overnight, dusting every tree in powdery white. The weather report had warned of record-breaking snowfall and reminded drivers to chain their tires, expecting inches upon inches of snow. It was still far from a blizzard, but enough to blindside the unprepared. With age came experience and wisdom, so Steve and Bucky were more than prepared for winter. While the cabin they bought had electricity, they made sure it was properly insulated. They worked on the doors and windows, and before the cold fully set in, they collected enough dry wood for the fireplace. The pantry was filled to the brim with canned and dry foods—rice, beans and the like. It was a far departure from military rations, but quite different from what they were now used to in 21st-century restaurants.

Steve stirred under the quilt, hands searching for Bucky until they found him. He wrapped his arms around Bucky’s shoulders and pulled himself closer, to nuzzle his face in the crook of Bucky’s neck. 

“Buck,” he said softly. “Bucky, it’s morning.”

Bucky groaned and shook his head. 

“Five more minutes,” he grumbled as he pulled the blanket over himself and Steve.

“Fine, fine,” Steve chuckled. “Five more minutes for me, ten for you. I’ll make sure your coffee’s extra sweet.”

“Mhmm.”

True to his word, Steve stayed with Bucky in their blanket cocoon an extra five minutes. He quickly kissed Bucky’s cheek before getting up. Stepping out of the warm bed was immediately a mistake. Steve winced the moment he set foot on the wooden floor, the cold piercing through his thick socks. He shook it off and paced straight towards the fireplace in the living room. After grabbing a few logs and tossing them into the firebox, Steve took a box of matches from the adjoining cabinet and a sheet of newspaper. He struck the match and lit the newspaper, then gently placed it on top of the logs and watched the fire grow. He rubbed his hands, a feeble attempt to keep them warm, as the flames worked through the wood, filling the living room with its crackling. 

As soon as Steve deemed the fire to be good enough, he went over to the kitchen area. It was relatively modest, just as they wanted, though they managed to have a spacious fridge to sustain their super-soldier appetite. 

Steve grabbed the can of ground coffee and measured out enough for both him and Bucky. With a steady _dripdripdrip_ , it brewed and its roasted fragrance brought Bucky out of bed, albeit with a small throw blanket draped around his shoulders. 

“I’ll put on some music,” he yawned, shuffling towards their music station, which was really just a side table with a record player and records they collected over the years. Bucky thumbed through the vinyls, remembering how he and Steve would dance alone in their apartment, even though Steve kept stepping on his feet and had no sense of rhythm. A particular record brought a smile to his lips. He gently took it in his hands, rubbing his thumb affectionately on its edges before placing it in the record player and dropping the needle. The entire cabin was filled with jazz, trumpets and piano complementing each other. He hummed as the intro built up, then sang along.

“ _No one to talk with, all by myself_ ,” Bucky belted, waltzing his way over to Steve, who was ready with two mugs of coffee, one extra sweet. “ _No one to walk with, but I’m happy on the shelf. Ain’t misbehavin’, I’m saving my love for you._ ”

“Oh, really,” Steve said. He took a sip from his own mug while handing the other to Bucky. “If I remember right, I was the one waiting at home while you were dancing all night.”

Ignoring him, Bucky kept singing. “ _I'm through with flirtin',_ _it's just you I'm thinkin' of._ ”

He took his mug from Steve and blew softly to cool the coffee down. “And it’s true. I only got eyes for you, Stevie.”

“You’re such a sweet talker.” Steve’s tone was dry, but he couldn’t help but smile. “We should probably clear out the snow around the cabin.”

“I need to check on my plants.” Bucky rested his head on Steve’s shoulder. “But first, breakfast?”

“Breakfast,” Steve agreed.

They worked on breakfast together—a hearty scramble, potatoes and a second round of coffee. It took a few minutes for their stomachs to settle but once they were comfortable, they changed into warmer clothes. While Steve went to the backroom, where Bucky kept most of his gardening supplies to get the shovels, Bucky grabbed a large colander. 

“Just in case some vegetables made it,” he explained. 

They cleared the perimeter of the cabin and then some, then took a break. Just because they had super strength didn’t mean that they couldn’t get tired, after all. However, Bucky was worried about his garden, so he walked over with the colander while Steve walked over to the shed.

Bucky crouched down and wiped away the snow with his hands, revealing a square, glass lid with a wooden frame. He felt for the latch and lifted up the lid to remove the towels and tarp, revealing sprouted greens underneath. He watched video after video on how to care for a garden in the winter and found that some vegetables—particularly potatoes, parsnips and carrots—could survive the frost with proper insulation. There wasn’t enough land for Bucky to build a greenhouse—at least, not yet anyway, so he settled for a makeshift box.

He dug at the soil around one of the parsnips with his fingertips until he had a solid grip around it and pulled it out. Bucky was surprised at its size, not that it was particularly large, just larger than he thought it’d be. And just as he thought, the carrots weren’t so big either. On the plus side, there was enough for both him and Steve to have a nice hearty stew. 

“How are they?” Steve asked, crouching beside him.

“Not too bad. Can you hold this for a sec?” Bucky passed the colander to Steve.

“I’ll go ahead and give these a wash,” he said as he walked back into the cabin. 

Bucky reassembled the box and closed the lid on it, hoping to check again in a few days for the rest of the vegetables. As he made his way back inside, he noticed that the portable firepit Sam had gifted them was out on the porch. When he stepped back in, warmth greeted him.

“Whatcha gonna do with the firepit?” Bucky asked, taking off his jacket and gloves.

“Just thinking that if the sky’s clear tonight,” he said, patting dry the vegetables. “We could sit out there and do some stargazing.”

Bucky suddenly pulled Steve into his arms, making the blonde yelp in surprise. He lifted Steve up and spun him around, both men giggling like children.

“My Stevie’s so romantic,” Bucky teased, putting Steve down. “I’ll make my special hot chocolate so we can stay all warm and cozy.”

“That sounds nice.”

And it was. Steve and Bucky threw some logs onto the firepit, careful not to let the flames get out of hand. 

“Here,” Bucky said, handing the mug to Steve. “Nice and cocoa-y.” 

“Thanks.” Steve nearly blows all the whipped cream off, trying to cool down his drink. Bucky snickered as he took a sip from his own mug.

“Steve?”

“Yeah, Buck?”

“Nothing.” He pressed a kiss onto Steve’s temple. “Just… I wanted to say that I’m glad I’m here with you.”

The corners of Steve’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. “That’s all?”

“No. I love you, punk.”

“Love you too, jerk. Hey, look.”

Bucky turned his attention towards the line of Steve’s gaze. Snow began to fall. Not long after finishing their drinks, Steve and Bucky put out the fire before heading inside, where they went to bed and slept soundly. 

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo peeps! I hope y'all enjoyed this, especially Annabelle_Priscilla_McQuillan! I tried incorporating as much of what you like into one fic. I also hope your holiday was a good one! I'll see y'all next time, after the gifts are revealed!


End file.
